


Kindergarten Day

by thestanceyg



Series: Darcy Lewis April Challenge [21]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Children's Books, F/M, mentioned child with cancer, writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3792799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce mistakes Darcy for his daughter's teacher, and she doesn't immediately correct him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kindergarten Day

**Author's Note:**

> Day 21
> 
> Holiday: Kindergarten Day  
> Prompt: I look a lot like someone in one of your classes and every other day you come up to me and start talking to me like I’m them*
> 
> *I changed it a bit to fit the holiday.

On Wednesdays and Fridays Darcy liked to sit in a small coffee shop and work on a project she just wasn’t ready to share with anyone yet.  She would sit at a table meant for four, and spread out her materials.  The shop was always quiet in the afternoons, so no one seemed to mind the space she took up. On the corner of the table were research materials.  Next to those was her notebook full of ideas and thoughts, scribbles on sticky notes, and swaths of color scratched next to each other.  In front of her was her tablet and stylus.  To her right was always the large mug of coffee and the pastry of the day.  And on the outside corner of the table was a paperweight on top of a stack of papers from her cousin that were serving as a bit of inspiration.

If you looked at what Darcy had covering the table, you would understand why Bruce was mistaken like he was.  Well, almost.  While she looked similar to the person Bruce thought she was, she did not look the same.  Of course, he’d have to actually look at her when he talked instead of shyly examining his hands in order to notice.  But, without fail, every Wednesday and Friday Bruce would show up at exactly 5:15, sit down with a small green tea, and talk.  He’d talk about his daughter that was supposedly in Darcy’s kindergarten class.  His daughter that he wasn’t allowed to actually see often because of some medical condition.  Apparently the girl’s mother sent him all sorts of videos and pictures, and scanned her papers so he could see all her work, and that’s what Bruce would talk to Darcy about.  How excited he was about how her penmanship was improving, how she was aceing anything math related, how she loved to embellish the stories she was read at school.

And Darcy never had the heart to say she wasn’t Lorelai’s teacher.  Instead, she would listen carefully to what he said.  He never asked questions that required knowledge of Lorelai, but would instead ask things like, “What books do you think she might enjoy next?” or “Do you know of any music that will also teach her things?”  And Darcy had answers to those kinds of questions.  Yes, she did have an idea how to make an atom costume for the dress up party next week.  Of course she could recommend an excellent YouTube series on dinosaurs.  And then at 5:45, Bruce would thank her for her time and understanding, and leave.  It was like clockwork.  

Darcy started to see it as a little break and the perfect time to enjoy her coffee and pastry.  She was starting to look forward to her time with Bruce, so when he didn’t show up one Friday, she was very concerned about him and Lorelai.  It was a long wait until Wednesday when he returned.

“Are you okay?” Darcy quickly asked before he could say anything.

“Yes, why?” He asked, confused.

“You weren’t here Friday.  I was worried.”

“Lorelai was getting her appendix removed.  Shouldn’t you have known that?”

“Oh,” Darcy said, thinking about how to respond.  If she was Lorelai’s teacher, yes, she would have known.  But she wasn’t.

Bruce looked up at Darcy, then, and studied her face.  “Oh my god,” he whispered, eyes growing wide.  “You’re not her teacher.”  He stood up quickly, causing the chair to squeak on the floor and draw attention.  “I,” he started, looking at her again.  “I have to go.”

Darcy watched as Bruce all but ran out of the coffee shop.  She didn’t try to stop him.  She had messed up by not telling him right away that she wasn’t a teacher.  She deserved whatever punishment he threw her way.  She could feel the stares of the few other patrons at her back.  Suddenly she didn’t feel like working anymore.

***

Three weeks later, Darcy was sitting in the coffee shop on the phone with her cousin.  “Gina, the book is almost done.  I’m sending it to the publisher on Monday.  As soon as I have it, I’ll send it to you.  Tell Cecily I love her, okay?  Bye.”  When she hung up, she looked up to see Bruce standing across from her.

“Hi,” he said shakily.

“Hey,” she responded, waving at the chair.  “You gonna sit down?”

He thought about it for a moment before deciding to take a seat.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he sat.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” she asked.  “I was the one that didn’t speak up.  I should have told you right away I wasn’t Lorelai’s teacher.”

“You know, now that I really look at you, you don’t look that much like her.  And I’m sorry because clearly I’ve been interrupting you for weeks.”

“It was a welcome break.  Besides, Lorelai sounds adorable.”

“She is,” he smiled.  “What are you working on?  I mean, since it’s not the teacher stuff I thought it was.”

Darcy blushed a bit.  She hadn’t told anyone but Gina about the project.  “It’s a children’s book for my cousin’s daughter.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah, ummm, she had cancer a bit ago, but went into remission.  That’s when I started.  Last week I got the call that they think it’s back, so it’s good that I’m basically done now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.

“Cecily’s a fighter, so I’m just doing what I can for her cause.”

“Wait.  Cecily Summers?”

“Ummmm, yeah?  How did you know that?”

“She’s in my daughter’s class.”

Darcy laughed.  “I’m going to guess, then, that means you’re Dr. Banner.”

“How did you know that?”

“Gina, my cousin, is Lorelai’s teacher.  She saw you at the hospital a few weeks ago, and hasn’t shut up about how perfect we would be for each other since.”

Bruce blushed, “I guess that means you’re Darcy, and now’s a perfect time to ask if I could get you some coffee.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> IDK guys, I'm not in love with this one. I am, however, in love with tomorrow.


End file.
